Meeting a Hero
by Dawnie-7
Summary: What happens when Jack meets a girl who could possibly be his biggest fan?
1. A Chance Meeting

A/N: Since I have a tendency to read a bunch of fanfics based on different movies and then feel the need to attempt to write my own, I decided a POTC story would be fun to try. So here it is, my story. Constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.   
  
Disclaimer:I own nothing and take no claim to anything from POTC. I do, however, own Riley Masterson and for this chapter pacifically, The White Lilly.  
  
The room was filled with smoke, the intense smell of alcohol, and of course, the un-godly smell of pirates. The usual for a pub in the beloved city of pirates which could only be known as Tortuga. Pirates young and old, big and small crowded the room. Some with bad teeth and some with teeth that were truly indescribable. Some smelled of liquor and sex (most likely provided by the strumpet by their sides) and some had such an odor you couldn't believe it to be human. But all of this went unfazed by everyone because you could ask anyone and they would tell you it was just a normal night at The White Lilly. But if you looked past all the drunken pirates, all the vulgar language, all the fights breaking out every two minutes over nothing, you would notice, just barely, that in the dark secluded corner of the pub, sitting in a booth all by herself, was a girl no older than 22 or so.She had dark brown hair with slightly lighter highlights caused by the sun that went to about an inch past her shoulders, dark brown eyes that almost looked black if you payed attention. She had a strong jaw line and stood at about 5'6 when she was standing. Sure she wasn't an A-class beauty queen, but she was still beautiful in her own way. She possessed this certain aura and you could tell just by looking at her she was a bit on the shy side. And if you took the time to look more carefully, you couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be troubled. Not necessarily sad or upset about something, she just seemed to be......off.  
  
The girl, Riley Masterson, looked up from the spot on the table she was so intently watching when she heard one of the drunken pirates tell a story she knew she had heard before. She would know it anywhere, after all it was one of her all time favorites.  
  
"So I roped the sea turtles together with human hair....from me own back!" The pirate that had been talking finished off his tale with a long swig of his rum. The pirate had on a black pair of breeches, a long shirt tucked into them that was covered in dirt, a dark brown vest over it, black boots that came to about mid leg, and a dark green coat. His outfit was completed by his tricorner(I think that's what it's called?) hat. The man had captivating brown eyes that were outlined in kohl, long black hair that was half matted and half braided and was cover with beads and other trinkets of the sort braided in. Common sense would tell you that this pirate could only be one person.....Captain Jack Sparrow.  
  
Riley looked towards the direction that the voice came from. 'Could it be?' she thought. She followed the voice until it lead her to the man. He had his back to her and she began to study his appearance. She started staring at the side of him so she could see every detail of his face. The more she saw, the more excited she got. Sensing that someone was watching him, Jack turned and came face to face with this girl he had never seen before.  
  
"Can I help you love?" Jack asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.  
  
"Oh my sweet heavens, it's you!" 


	2. The Convensation

Disclaimer: Any quotes, characters, places or anything else that was shown in POTC belongs to the Disney company. I claim no ownership.  
  
"Oh my sweet heavens, it's you!" Riley exclaimed with wide eyes and month hung open. Just to look at her you would think you was a nut case.  
  
Riley was completely dumbstruck. What she had done to deserved this face to face encounter with her idol was far beyond her logic. She had spent many days daydreaming about meeting the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, but never once thought in her wildest dreams that it would ever come true. She would definitely be thanking her lucky stars tonight, that she was sure of.  
  
Jack sat there staring at this girl who seemed to have gone off the deep end. Wearing a peasant type top and a long skirt that looked the same with a old looking pair of black boots, she wasn't exactly bad to look at he'd admit, but the way she stood there gawking at him started to make him feel a bit on edge. He searched his head for something to say to the girl who, after 3 minutes or so, was still staring at him. Unable to think of anything else, Jack spoke the first thing that came to mind.   
  
"So....you've heard of me then?" he asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.  
  
"Are you kidding me, surely everyone has heard of you, you're Captain Jack Sparrow!" Riley replied despite her stage of giddiness.  
  
Suddenly forgetting his earlier nervousness, Jack resumed his usual ways and gave one of his famous grin.  
  
"Why don't ye take a seat love." he offered.  
  
"Really?" she asked with her wide eyes getting wider.  
  
"Of course, after all, tis always nice ta meet a admirer." he replied while pulling out a seat for her.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"No problem love. So tell me, what exactly have ye heard of me?"  
  
"Oh just about everything Mr. Sparrow, I mean Captain Sparrow," she corrected herself. "from your friendship with Mr. Bootstrap Bill, how your crew double-crossed you and marooned you on a god forsaken island and left you for dead, all lead by your own first mate may I add, how you got off the island by roping together a couple of sea turtles with human hair from your own back, which is my favorite story of all, and then you helped a Mr. Will Turner rescue his love, a Mrs. Elizabeth Swann from, ironically enough from your old crew, and just about everything in between!" Riley gasped when she was done for she had said all of that in nearly one breath.  
  
Jack looked impressively at the girl. He was more than honored to say the least. You could easily tell that by looking at his proud smile.  
  
"That's quite impressive, Ms...."  
  
"Materson, Riley Masterson. And it's nothing really, I mean, you're quite an interesting to person to learn about if I do say so myself."  
  
"Yes, tis hard to be such a marvelous Captain but ye learn ta deal with it." he expressed with his usual extensive hand gestures.  
  
"If I may ask, what's it like to be a pirate?"   
  
"Ah, tis a lot of things love, but must of all, it's freedom."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"How old ye be love?"   
  
A bit taken aback by his sudden question, Riley answered.  
  
"23,why?"  
  
"Oh, no reason." Jack smiled mysteriously. 'Hmmm,23,not bad. Atleast if anything should happen, it would be legal' Jack thought quietly to himself.  
  
"Well since ye seem ta know so much about me, what do ye say ye tell me a little bit about yeself, hmm."  
  
"Okay, umm, well I've lived here my whole life, my mum was a strumpet who abandoned me when I was 5 because she said I was too much to handle and then she ran off with one of her costumers, I never knew my dad and my mum never told me anything him, just said he was a wretched old bastard who deserved to burn in the fiery depths of hell for cheating her out of her money. So I pretty much been on my own since then and I currently work down the street at The Red Dragon." she finished with a bit of shame in her eyes because of the sorry excuse for her life.  
  
"If ye work at The Red Dragon, they what are ye doing here?"  
  
"I like it better here."  
  
"Then why didn't you get a job here?"  
  
"They weren't looking for help here."  
  
"Ah." Jack answered with realization.  
  
Jack could see the sadness in her eyes.' Poor thing.' he thought.' Not only does she have a rotten life but she can't even work where she wants.' And that is when it happened. Something he never, ever thought he of all people would experience. For the first time in his life, he felt a bit of sympathy for someone else. It was just something about her. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he just had this gut feeling he had to protect this girl. That's when the idea struck him.  
  
"Excuse me love, but how would ye like ta accompany ol' Jack to me ship?"  
  
Riley was slightly shocked by his bluntness and didn't quite no what to say.  
  
"Ummm, Captain Sparrow, I'm very flattered, really I am, but I'm not a strumpet."  
  
Jack laughed loudly and Riley looked at him like he was mad.  
  
"I wasn't trying ta bed ye love, I was just simply asking for a beautiful lass to accompany me on the walk back ta me ship, what do ye say?"  
  
Riley, now blushing at the compliment, did the only thing any sane woman would do in this situation.  
  
"Okay."  
  
Outside the stars were shinning brightly and the streets were unusually clear. It was quite peaceful actually. Riley followed Jack with amusement written all over her face as she watched Jack swagger back and fourth and waving his hands about as if he were describing a big adventure. As soon as they reached the docks Jack swiftly turned around and stopped. Startled by his sudden stop, Riley just about ran into him and now their faces were mere inches apart. That's when she heard the words she never in a million years thought she would here.  
  
"How would ye like ta join me crew?" 


	3. A New Life

Disclaimer: Any quotes, characters, settings or anything else shown in POTC belongs to Disney. I claim no ownership to it.  
  
"How would ye like ta join me crew?"  
  
'Holy shit!' Riley thought. Her day seemed to be getting better and better by the minute. First she meets her idol, then she actually has a conversation with him, but now she was actually standing here with him and he was offering her the chance to be apart of his crew! This was just too much. Too much of a good thing can never be true, right? This couldn't be true, it must be a dream. Riley Masterson was not one to be presented with such luck. So she did the only thing she could think of....she pinched herself, and HARD!  
  
"OOUUCCHHH!" she screamed a glass-shattering scream.  
  
"What did ye do that for love?!" Jack asked bewilded at her strange reaction to his offer.  
  
"I had to make sure this wasn't a dream, this is just all too surreal."  
  
"Well ye better believe it love cuz it's true." Jack told her with one of his charming smiles.  
  
"Y...you actually want me, to join your crew?" Riley asked with much doubt written on her face.  
  
"Aye, that I do, so what do ye say?"  
  
And it seemed in a flash Riley's arms were tightly wrapped around Jack's neck.  
  
"I take that as a yes then?"  
  
"Yes." she said barely above a whisper.  
  
Seeing as how she didn't seem to be loosing her grip, Jack awkwardly put his arms around her to return the hug. He had to admit he felt quite weird doing this, after all he wasn't use to this kind of affection. Hell, give him a whore for a night at that was affection enough for him. Riley soon released her grip after realizing she had been standing there like that for quite some time now.  
  
"Well, I guess ye best be meeting the crew then, follow me love." Jack instructed while resuming his drunken swagger. He nearly tripped a couple of times but lucky for him Riley was kind enough to keep him decently steady. He was becoming quickly attached to this girl, that he was sure of, but try as he might he couldn't find a single thing wrong with that. They soon arrived at The Black Pearl. After guiding Riley to the center of the ship, Jack called for the attention of his crew.  
  
"Alright ye scallywags, I want each and everyone of ye front and center, come now we don't have all day!" Jack bellowed with a voice that was dripping with authority. As soon as the entire crew was gathered around, he began speaking once again.  
  
"Everybody, this young lass here be Riley Ma....Mas......Mast...what be ye name again love? Jack asked, he drunkenness getting in the way.  
  
"Masterson, Riley Masterson." She told him.  
  
"AHA! That's it. Riley Masterson. Anyways, I met her down in one of de pubs and it turns out she be me biggest fan," Jack started explaining with his naturally extensive hand gestures and his face radiating with pride." and to make a long story short, she will be joining the crew, and if anybody has a problem with that, ye are to take it up with me. Now, does anyone have anything to say?"   
  
With that everybody turned to Gibbs, knowing his feelings towards woman aboard ship. Gibbs' eyes wondered from the crew, to Riley, to Jack, back to Riley and then sighed.  
  
"I'm not even gonna waste me breath, not like he ever listens to me anyway." And with that he turned away while mumbling something along the lines of if something bad happens then they're going to believe woman aboard a ship is bad luck.  
  
Jack watched with amusement as Gibbs walked away mumbling to himself. He knew how much it killed Gibbs to have yet another woman aboard ship and not say something about it, and to be quite honest, Jack was enjoying it. He then averted his eyes to the crew as they all introduced themselves to Riley and welcomed her aboard. It was quite odd to say the least, Jack couldn't remember the last time his crew had be so kind and welcoming to someone he brought to the ship. Hell it was only 3 weeks ago that they all threw a poor little lad no older than 18 off The Black Pearl because he tied one of the ropes wrong. But Jack shrugged all this off, figuring that they all had sense the feeling of emptiness that Riley's eyes portrayed and felt a slight pity for her such as he did. For that he was very proud of his crew. After everyone was introduced and the crew had gotten back to work, Jack decided it was time to show her to her sleeping quarters. After a brief discussion with Anamaria to get her permission, Jack led Riley to the cabin she would be sharing with her.  
  
"Ah, here ye go love, you'll be sharing this room with Anamaria. Do ye have a problem with that?"  
  
"No, not at all." She replied in a very thankful tone.  
  
"Good, well I suggest ye get some sleep, tomorrow you'll be waking up with the sun and starting your lessons." Jack told her with a mysterious grin plastered on his face.  
  
"Lessons?" Riley asked with confusion.  
  
"Aye, lessons, I'll be making a pirate out of ye yet." Jack replied, his grin widening.  
  
"Why are you being so nice to me?"  
  
Jack thought about her question for a moment, then answered.  
  
"Well, love, to be quite honest, ye looked like ye could use some help." He told her bluntly. Riley thought about his answer and didn't know if she should be grateful for his kindness or offended that he saw her as a charity case. She finally decided she would go with being grateful for the time being.  
  
"Alright then, I'll be seeing you bright and early then?" She asked with a small smile playing upon her lips.  
  
"Aye, that ye will love, that ye will." Jack was about to turn and leave the room when she stopped him.  
  
"Jack."  
  
"Yes?" He asked as he turned around to face her.  
  
"Thank-you, for...everything." Riley told him with all sincerity.  
  
"Don't mention it love. G'night." And with that he turned around once again and left the room.  
  
Riley let her eyes roam around the room. It wasn't much, 2 cots and 2 small dressers, but compared to what she had just a few hours ago it was plenty. Riley laid down on the cot on the right and got comfortable. She soon drifted off to sleep with pleasant dreams of what the next day would bring.  
  
Up on deck Jack was at the wheel quietly humming the tune to 'A Pirate's Life For Me' to himself. Anamaria walked up to him and silently stood by his side. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up.  
  
"Why are ye being so nice to this girl Jack?" She asked with a curious look on her face.  
  
"The same reason ye are." He stated simply without removing his gaze from the ocean.  
  
Understanding him completely, Anamaria nodded her head and went back to work.  
  
Jack, being completely in his element and one with the sea, softly mumbled to himself,  
  
"Bring me that horizon."  
  
A/N: Well there you have it, chapter 3.I hope you enjoy and I want to give a special thanks to my reviewers. Your kind words have made me feel special. And for that I want you to be apart of the decision involving the future of this story. Do you think Jack and Riley should get to together or just keep a brother/sister type relationship? Let me know what you think. 


	4. The CJS School of Piracy

Disclaimer: Any quotes, characters, settings or anything else shown in POTC belongs completely to Disney. I claim no ownership to it.  
  
The sun had only just risen and already rays of light were shinning through the port hole in the cabin Riley was sharing with Anamaria. Streaks of the warm Caribbean sun were dancing their way across Riley's body, almost making her look as if she were glowing. She stirred a little in her sleep but didn't wake up. Unfortunately she didn't remember Jack's promise of a early morning filled with pirate lessons. Lucky for her, Jack did. He stood in the door frame watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful in her sleep that he almost felt bad for what he was about to do, the keyword being almost. Jack quietly walked to the side of the bed, stood over her, and dumped a bucket of freezing cold ocean water over her. Riley woke with a start and almost punched the person who had poured water over her until she realized it was Jack.  
  
"What was that for?!" Riley asked with a face of shock.  
  
"Te wake ye up." Jack answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"And you couldn't have just shaken me awake?"   
  
"Nonsense love, this way is much better. See, not only are ye wide awake, but now ye don't have ta worry about a bath!"  
  
Either it was too early to think straight, or Riley had already been under the influence of Jack for too long, but somehow what he said made sense. But she didn't have much time to think about it for before she knew it, Jack was dragging her out of bed and telling her Anamaria would be in shortly with a change of cloths. And with that, he was off. A few minutes later, just as Jack had said, Anamaria came in with a faded pair of black breeches, a beige color shirt, and an old pair of boots. Riley assumed they were some of Jack's old cloths because they were a tad bit too big for her. But she solved that problem by tying a sash around her waist to hold the breeches up and tying a knot on the side of the top to keep it in place. She then tied her hair up in a pony-tail with a piece of leather she had found. With one quick look at herself, she was on her way up top. It seemed as soon as her feet touched the deck, Jack appeared right in front of her.  
  
"Ah, good, your dressed, we best be getting started then, eh? Come come, right this way, that's a good lass."  
  
Jack then preceded to lead her to the helm of the ship, swaggering the entire way. As soon as he reached their destination, he stopped, turned around, spread his arms wide and smiled a big toothy smile.  
  
"Welcome te The Captain Jack Sparrow School Of Piracy, where ye will learn ta pillage and plunder with the best of them. Now before we get started, I need ta ask you a very important question, can ye sail under the command of a pirate?" Jack asked while explaining himself through his hand gestures.  
  
"Yes sir!" Riley said while nodding her head with great enthusiasm.  
  
"Good. Lets us get started then. First and foremost, the most important thing ye have ta remember is when ye are doing something risky, ye must always wait for the opportune moment, got that love?" Jack asked, making sure she was falling him.  
  
"Opportune moment, got it."  
  
By the end of the day, Riley knew just about everything there was to know about working on the ship. Jack was very pleased with how well she was doing and how fast she was catching on. She was a natural, that's for sure.  
  
"Alright love, that's enough for one day, we'll pick it up from here tomorrow, savvy?"  
  
"Savvy."  
  
"Picking up the lingo already, are we love?" Jack observed with amusement.  
  
"Can't help it, it seems ta be sticking with me." Riley explained with pride that Jack seemed to be so proud of her already.  
  
"Nothing ta be ashamed of. Now why don't ye go get something ta eat."  
  
"Okay, are you coming too?"  
  
"I'll be there in a minute. Oh, one more thing love, I forgot ta ask earlier, do ye know how ta use a sword?"  
  
"Yes! The pointy end goes in the other person."  
  
Jack smile and desperately tried not to laugh at her naivness. But Riley quickly took note of this.  
  
"What?" Riley asked slightly offended he was laughing at her.  
  
"Nothing love, but I think we'll be needing ta make a stop in Port Royal." Jack said with a plan clearing forming in his head.  
  
A/N: Okay, chapter 4 is up, hope you enjoy. Oh and I was told that this was a little difficult to read because of my spacing so I hope it's easier now. 


	5. Port Royal Part1

Disclaimer: Any quotes, characters, settings or anything shown in POTC belong to Disney. I claim no ownership.  
  
A few days later they were sailing their way to Port Royal. Now Riley wouldn't have a problem with this if it wasn't for the fact that Jack wouldn't tell her or even give her a clue as to why they were going there. He would just get this devilish, mysterious gleam in his eye every time he looked at her. Riley wasn't sure if she should worry or not, so she kept herself busy by doing chores around the ship. She was getting quite good at it too. She was definitely a natural around the ship. If you hadn't known her before, you would think she had spent her whole life on one. She was impressing the crew and gaining respect from everyone, which wasn't a easy thing to do with the crew of The Black Pearl. Now Riley wasn't one to toot her own horn, but she was very proud of herself. She even had the pirate lingo down, and it had only been a week! Yup, this was definitely the best thing Riley could have ever done for her life, and she didn't know how she would ever be able to thank Jack appropriately, but she would make sure she find a way some day.  
  
Later that day, Riley was swabbing the decks when she heard a loud voice ring across the ship.  
  
"Land Ho!"  
  
Riley looked up and noticed for the first time the big island they were coming up on. She didn't even have to ask anyone, for she already knew what it was. Port Royal.  
  
"Ready for some fun love?" Jack came up behind her with possibly the biggest grin she had ever seen on his face.  
  
"What exactly are we doing here Jack?" Riley asked, nervous about what Jack had up his sleeve.  
  
"Now now love, keep yer pants on, if I told ye why we were here then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?"  
  
"I don't like surprises too much."  
  
"Sure ye do, everyone likes surprises, why the world would be no fun without surprises. They keep ye on yer toes."  
  
"If ye say so." Riley said, still a bit apprehensive about what was going on in this man's head, after all he was known to be a bit, how do you say, eccentric.  
  
It seemed with in no time they had anchored ship around a mountain of rocks so no one would notice the famous pirate vessel and Jack and Riley were rowing their way to the docks. As soon as they got there they got out of the little row boat and were weaving their way in and out of alleys, slipping their way in and out of the crowds, and after about 5 minutes, they stood in front of a very high class looking house. Riley looked on in awe, this place was extraordinary. Riley wasn't quite sure where they were or who they were visiting, but she had a pretty good idea. She had been following the history of Jack Sparrow for a while now, she wasn't called a fan for nothing. Jack casually walked up to the door and pounded like his life depended on it. Someone could be heard mumbling through the door and then it swung open. A young man no older than 24 or so stood in the door way, and as soon as he laid his eyes on Jack, he broke out into a smile just as big as the one Jack was currently wearing.  
  
"Well well well, if it isn't Jack Sparrow, back so soon are we?" The man, now obviously Will, teased.  
  
"First of all, it's Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow, and secondly, don't try te deny it whelp, ye know ye missed me." Jack said flashing one of those famous grins of his.  
  
They were soon embracing in a huge bear hug. It probably would have lasted longer if it wasn't for the fact that Will had just noticed Riley awkwardly standing off to the side. She didn't look familiar, and he didn't remember Jack ever mentioning anything about a girl, so of course curiosity got the best of him.  
  
"Who's the girl Jack?" He asked staring at her.  
  
"She's me new crewmate and me biggest fan!" Jack boasted proudly.  
  
"Your biggest fan?" Will asked, looking as if he were trying not to laugh.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry, how rude of me, I'm Riley, Riley Masterson. Ye must be Will Turner." Riley smiled politely and held out her hand.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, how did you know my name?" Will asked while shaking her hand.  
  
"Well as Captain Sparrow here has already mentioned, I'm a big fan of his, I know quite a bit about his life, which includes yourself and Miss Elizabeth Swann." Riley explained.  
  
"I see, so how does it feel to have a fan Jack?" Will asked while smiling at his friend.  
  
"Ay, it be a proud moment in me life mate." Jack told him with his usual dramatic hand gestures.  
  
Will laughed and invited the two in. They continued to talk and a couple of hours later, Will knew just about everything there was to know about Riley. Although he made a mental note to get Jack alone later so he could find out exactly why he had taken Riley under his wing, so to speak. They were in the middle of a conversation when they heard someone come through the door. They all looked up and within seconds Elizabeth appeared in the door way. She quickly took notice to Jack and let out a little squeal and ran up to him and gave him a big hug. When she finally got over her excitement of seeing her favorite pirate again, and not to mention so soon, she began to speak.  
  
"It's good to see you again Jack. Tell me, what brings you back so soon?" She asked with the same curiosity that Will had displayed a couple of hours earlier.  
  
"Well for starters, I know ye two are simply miserable when I'm not here so I thought I'd put ye out of yer misery for a couple of days, and I also wanted ye to meet me new crew member Riley, she's me biggest fan!" Jack explained while boasting with pride for the second time that day.  
  
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, I didn't even see you there, hi I'm Elizabeth." Elizabeth introduced herself after finally noticing Riley.  
  
"Don't worry about it, no harm done. I'm Riley, Riley Masterson."   
  
"Well it's certainly a pleasure to meet you, any friend of Jack is automatically a friend of ours." Elizabeth said politely, speaking for both her and Will.  
  
"It's a pleasure ta meet you as well." Riley returned the friendliness.  
  
"Well, now that introductions are out of the way, it brings me to me second bit of business, meaning the second reason why I have decided to come here." Jack announced with yet another huge grin plastered on his face. 


	6. Port Royal Part2

A/N: Wow, I've been getting reviews and I have to say if gives you a nice feeling to know people like what you're writing. I have to give a special thanks to my reviewers, know it sounds corny, but you guys truly inspire me to continue so thank you. Oh and as far as Jack and Riley hooking up, I'm still not sure. I'm kind of making this up as I go along so if it seems to fit, I'll write it in, but I'll have to see how things turn out.  
  
Disclaimer: Any quotes, characters, settings or anything that is shown in POTC belongs to Disney. I claim no ownership.  
  
"Well, now that introductions are out of the way, it brings me to me second bit of business, meaning the second reason why I have decided to come here." Jack announced with yet another huge grin plastered on his face.  
  
"Now, it occurred to me a couple of days ago that despite the fact that little Riley here is turning into a damn good crew member, she's not too experience with a sword. Now if she wishes ta become a pirate, she'll be needing ta learn how ta handle her a sword. So that got me thinking, who's the best swordsman I know? Any guesses?" Jack asked the three of them, and after seeing the clueless expressions on their faces, continued walking back and forth across the floor and getting back to his hand gestures.  
  
"Why good ol' William of course. Sure he may be a eunuch, but he has a special touch with a sword!"   
  
"I am NOT a eunuch!" Will cried defensively.  
  
"Sure ye not mate. Now where was I, oh yes! So I started thinking, I could come to Port Royal for a couple of days, have ye give Riley some lessons and everything would be fine and dandy. But! There be a problem with that plan, savvy? See, as ye all may know, I'm not exactly the Commodore's favorite person, although I can't imagine why, and if he were to catch me here, it could turn ugly. So I started thinking of a way I could get around that problem, and then it hit me! I thought of it all by me onesies. You and Elizabeth come aboard the Black Pearl for a little while, teach Riley, have a little getaway, and of course the best part of all, spend some quality time with good ol' Jack. So what do ye say, do we have an accord?" Jack asked with a slight hopeful look on his face. He hated to admit it, but he had missed the two.  
  
Will looked at Elizabeth, and as soon as she gave the confirmination nod, he turned back to Jack and smiled widely.  
  
"Agreed." He said confidently.  
  
"Ahh, good!" Jack replied and returned the smile along with a shake of the hands to make it final.  
  
"Well I think this calls for a celebration!" Elizabeth chipped in.  
  
"Celebration, I love celebrations, drinks all around!" Jack cheered.  
  
"Good, I'll go get the drinks, Riley, do you think you could help me?" Elizabeth politely asked.  
  
"Of course."  
  
The girls walked off to the kitchen and as soon as he was sure they were out of ear shot, Will turned to Jack and put on a serious look. Jack noticed and tried not to make eye contact because he was sure he already knew what Will was thinking and he wasn't exactly sure how to explain himself. Will waited a couple more seconds to try to give Jack the chance to bring up the topic himself, but when he was certain he wouldn't, Will decided to make the first move.  
  
"Alright Jack, I know this girl telling you she was your biggest fan isn't really the reason you brought her aboard your ship, so what's the real reason?"  
  
Jack sighed. "I don't know mate, I honestly don't know. She came up ta me in a bar back in Tortuga and told me she had heard of me and we got ta talking, and it just seemed like I had known the lass for ages, and I could feel this, feeling of emptiness comin from her, and I just felt this pang of pity for her. I couldn't help it. It was like something inside of me was willing ta do anything to keep her from..... hurting." Jack finished lamely.  
  
"Jack, don't tell me you're falling fro her. You barely know her!"   
  
"No! Of course I'm not falling for her. I just felt sorry.."  
  
"Felt sorry for what?" Riley interrupted as her and Elizabeth walked in.  
  
"Oh,,, ummm... this,, little bird I seen not to long ago, it had, umm..... a broken wing! Yes, that's it. It had a broken wing. Poor little bugger, couldn't fly or anything, and I was just telling Will here how bad I felt for it." Jack said quite sure of himself and his little story while Will just stood there shaking his head in his hand at the ridiculous story.  
  
"Oh, okay." Riley replied slowly.  
  
"Well here are the drinks. And Jack, I brought rum especially for you." Elizabeth said while finding amusement in the way Jack's face had just completely lit up.  
  
"Bless ye woman!" Jack said while making a quick grab for the bottle. He uncorked the bottle with his teeth and swallowed just about half the bottle in one gulp.  
  
"Want some love?" He offered Riley.  
  
"No, that's alright." Riley answered, knowing full well that it was the wisest thing to do, after all she knew first hand how Jack could be when he was drunk, so she would need to be soluble to help him walk.  
  
"Your loss." He mumbled and took another sip.  
  
A couple of hours later they were all still sitting in the living room and having a good time. Will, Elizabeth and Riley because Jack was making a complete fool out of himself singing and tripping over everything and anything in sight, and Jack because he had his rum. It was a nice little get together, a joining of old friends and new. Shortly after they decided it would be wise to get to bed since they had a early morning ahead of them, they would have to leave early to cut down the chance of being seen or causing a commotion. Jack and Riley were suppose to go back to the Black Pearl and meet Will and Elizabeth at the docks in the morning, but seeing as how Jack was drunk as a skunk and was also currently in a deep conversation with a pillow he had named Howard, the other 3 decided it would be best to for Jack and Riley to stay there for the night, because no matter how hard they tried, there was no way in hell they would be able to get Jack back to the ship without causing a fuss and getting caught. After much distress, they finally got Jack away from 'Howard' and into a bed upstairs where he passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow. The remaining 3 said their goodnights and went their separate ways. Will and Elizabeth retired to their room and seeing as how Jack was sprawled out over the bed, Riley took to a chair in the corner. After wrapping a blanket over herself and getting decently comfortable, she fell into a deep slumber. The next couple of weeks would definitely be interesting. 


	7. Departure Delays

Disclaimer: Any quotes characters, settings or anything else that was shown in POT belongs to Disney. I claim no ownership.  
  
Riley took to a chair in the corner. After wrapping a blanket over herself and getting decently comfortable, she fell into a deep slumber. The next couple of weeks would definitely be interesting.  
  
Early the next morning, before the sun had even risen, Will and Elizabeth took it upon themselves to wake up their 2 guests. They felt slightly bad for waking them so early and even considered waiting a bit before they did so, but they would have to leave soon to reduce the chance of getting caught and judging by the amount of rum Jack drank last night, it wasn't going to be an easy task. They figured they wake up Riley first, and then pawn the responsibility of waking Jack on her. They quietly walked into the guest room and as soon as they saw Jack on the bed, they quickly turned around, walked out of the room, shut the door, and broke out into hysterical laughter. It seemed that Jack gotten a bed buddy sometime during the night.  
  
"What in the world is he doing with that thing?" Elizabeth gasped and wiped away some tears.  
  
"Apparently Jack and 'Howard' are a lot closer than any of us thought." Will said, finally recovery from his laughing fit.  
  
"I'll say."  
  
"Okay, we need to wake those 2, sorry, 3, up and get them ready. Are you going to be able to go in and not laugh?" Will chuckled softly.  
  
"Yes." Elizabeth replied, getting the last bit of giggles out before entering again.  
  
Will and Elizabeth entered the room once again and desperately tried not to laugh as they say Jack spooning with 'Howard' and what almost looked like him whispering sweet nothings to the pillow. They walked over to the chair Riley was sleeping on and lightly shook her, so she wouldn't be startled. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and landed on the 2. She gave them a questionable look after seeing their faces that looked remarkably like 2 people trying not to laugh. They noticed her gaze and pointed to the bed. Riley follows their eyes to bed, saw Jack and his new friend, looked back to the 2, and smiled broadly. Will and Elizabeth knew exactly what Riley was going to do next so they rushed her out of the room and as soon as the doors were closed, all 3 of them cracked up.  
  
"I, guess he got, lonely." Riley said through her laughter.  
  
"That's what we assumed." Will explained.  
  
"Well, I guess we better wake him up so we can get going. Who gets the honor?" Riley asked, knowing full well how stubborn Jack could be in the morning.  
  
"Well...." Will and Elizabeth said in union and stared at Riley hopefully.  
  
"Oh no, trying ta wake Jack in the morning is like trying ta wake a dead man. And then when you do finally get him up you wish you didn't. No way am I waking him!" Riley stated firmly.  
  
"Oh come on, he'll hit Will and I don't know what he'll do to me but I'm not exactly anxious to find out." Elizabeth pleaded.  
  
"Oh alright, I'll do it." Riley finally agreed, knowing it would be a lost cause.  
  
"Great, while you're doing that, we'll go get the last minutes things together. See you downstairs." Will said cheerfully as he and Elizabeth descended down the staircase.  
  
"Yeah yeah, scaredy cats." Riley mumbled to herself.  
  
Riley entered the room and walked over to the bed. She figured the best way to do this would be to just try and shake him up. She stood to the side, out of arms length just incase Jack woke up punching, and cautiously started to shake him.  
  
"C'mon Jack, wakey wakey." Riley whispered in his ear, trying to bring him out of his slumber. After a few minutes of nothing, she tried again.  
  
"Dammit Jack! We don't have all day ta wait for ya ta wake up!" Riley whispered harshly trying again to wake him, but still nothing.  
  
All of a sudden, Jack's right arm shot out and grabbed Riley around waist, squishing her between himself and 'Howard'. Riley tried her hardest to get up, but it seemed Jack had a death grip on her. She tried everything she could thing of to wake him, but it was useless. So finally she came to a last resort, physical pain. She hated to do it, especially considering if he woke up swinging, she would be the perfect punching bag, but she had to. She turned around so that she was facing him. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, she mused to herself, to bad he was about to have a rude awakening. She slowly lifted her knee up to his manhood.  
  
"Sorry Jack." She whispered and in one quick movement, rammed her knee into his groin.  
  
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Jack screamed as his eyes shot opened.  
  
He instantly let go of Riley, rolled out of bed with a loud thud, and continued to scream absurd obscenities. Riley watched him with wide eyes. Sure she had heard her fair share of language back in Tortuga, but that was nothing compared to the words seeping from Jack's mouth at the moment. She had never heard such things, didn't even know such things exists actually. All of a sudden, Will and Elizabeth busted through the door. Apparently they had heard the commotion from downstairs, which wasn't hard to believe. They watched Jack roll around the floor, obviously in agony.  
  
"What did you do to him!" Elizabeth demanded.  
  
"I had ta wake him up somehow." Riley shrugged.  
  
"What did you do?" Will asked curiously.  
  
"Well, I kinda, ummm, kneed him in the groin." Riley explained weakly.  
  
"Ouch." Will muttered.  
  
The 3 stopped talking when they realized Jack wasn't making anymore noise. They stared over the side of the bed where he was previously lying. Jack's head slowly rosed over the edge of the bed and stared at the 3 with narrowed eyes and a not so happy scowl on his face. He was quite intimidating looking. The other 3 were afraid to speak and were trying not to make eye contact with the angry pirate. Jack took the privilege of speaking first.  
  
"Alright, which one of ye devil possessed scallywags attacked Lil Jack?" Jack demanded in a low growl. Will and Elizabeth quickly pointed to Riley, they wanted nothing to do with this. Riley looked at them as if they were traitors, then looked back at Jack guiltily, and raised her hand.  
  
"That would be me." She squeak.  
  
"And the reason being?" Jack asked.  
  
"Well I had to wake you up and you just wouldn't wake no matter what I did, then you dragged me into bed next ta you and had an ungodly tight grip on me and I couldn't get up, so I did the only thing I could think of ta wake you up, Sorry." Riley rambled on and then finally fished lamely.   
  
Jack looked like he was thinking over her answer, and then suddenly broke out into a smile and stood up.  
  
"Ye know love, ye could have just tickled me feet, that always wakes me."   
  
"Oh, now he tells me." Riley mumbled to herself.  
  
Jack walked, well, more like limped, over to the door and then turned to the other 3.  
  
"Well then, if everybody is ready we shall be on our marry way!" Jack exclaimed happily.  
  
The 3 looked at eachother, then followed Jack out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the house. Even though it was still pretty dark out, they thought it in their best interest to take the back alleys to get to the Black Pearl. They weaved their way in and out of the back streets and soon came up to the row boat Jack and Riley had left their the day before. They all got in and starting rowing their way to the Black Pearl. They soon reached it and one by one climbed up the rope ladder and onto the deck. AnaMaria and Gibbs were there to welcome them and then they showed Will and Elizabeth the cabin they would be using. After everybody was settled in and everything was in order, they set sail. Not knowing what adventures would come their way. About 20 minutes later Will walked up to Jack who was currently at the helm steering his beloved ship.  
  
"So where are we off to, Captain." Will smiled.  
  
"Wherever the winds take us lad." Jack smiled back amusedly. 


	8. Weird Feelings&Uh Ohs

Disclaimer: Any quotes, characters, settings or anything else that was shown in POTC belongs to Disney. I claim no ownership.  
  
"So where are we off to, Captain." Will smiled.  
  
"Wherever the winds take us lad." Jack smiled back amusedly.  
  
It had been about 4 days since the group left Port Royal and set sail to, well, wherever the wind chose to take them. The crew had warmly welcomed the return of Will and Elizabeth and everything was going good. Will was helping with the crew, Elizabeth helped with the cooking and little oddball jobs, Riley was pulling her weight and was even about to 'graduate' from Captain Jack Sparrow's School Of Piracy, and Jack was being..... Jack. But today was going to be the most exciting Riley had experienced yet. Today her and Will were going to start her fencing lessons. She was so excited she could hardly sleep the night before. She woke up a good 2 hours earlier than she usually would just to make sure she was bright eyed and bushy tailed enough to concentrate on the task at hand. By the time she had washed up some and gotten changed it was still quite early and AnaMaria wasn't up yet, so she decided she'd go see if there was anyone on deck. To no surprise, the only person on deck was Jack. She watched him steer the ship for a few minutes. It still amazed her how passionate he was with his ship. He stroked the side of the wheel as if it were his baby, he was so gentle with his beloved Pearl. For the first time Riley felt this feeling in her that she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was like a mix between shyness and butterflies. It was almost like the feeling you'd get when you....... no! That couldn't be it. It must have been something she'd eaten. Yes, that was it, just something she'd eaten. Riley shook the thoughts from her head and continued to walk over to him. She was just about to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention when he suddenly interrupted her.  
  
"Can't keep ye eyes off me, eh love?" He asked and Riley could just sense the grin on his face although his back was to her.  
  
Startled by his question, Riley said the first thing that came to mind.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"I seen ye looking at me. Can't say I blame ye, I mean, if I was a lass I'd be smitten with me too. Tis a curse I've had since I was a wee little lad, woman just can't resist good ol' Jack." He turned and smirked at her.  
  
"I see." Riley couldn't help but smile back as she took her place by his side.  
  
"So what are ye doing up so early?"  
  
"Couldn't sleep, I'm a bit excited about the fencing lessons today." Riley explained and looked as if she were a little girl in a candy store.  
  
"I thought as much, nervous?" Jack stated more than asked.  
  
"A little, I'm afraid of messing up and doing something wrong." Riley said with a bit of a frown.  
  
"Nonsense love, there be nothing ta worry about. Will be a good teacher, you'll do just fine." Jack said knowingly.  
  
"Yeah." She nodded. "Well I think I'm gonna go start cooking breakfast, give Elizabeth a little break."  
  
"You cook!" Jack asked astonished.  
  
"Of course." Riley answered in a duh type of voice.  
  
"My God, you're heaven sent love."  
  
Riley laughed at him and walked towards the galley. Jack watched her leave and couldn't help but smile. He was becoming quite fond of the little lass. She was filled with such energy and spunk. She was a simple girl. She didn't need money and jewels to be happy like a lot of woman, no, give her a compliment like 'you look nice today' and she'd be thrilled. Jack loved how she would get so blithesome over the simple things that most people wouldn't pay attention to. She was so innocent. He could corrupt her in no time.   
  
"WHOA!!!! Where did that come from!" Jack asked himself.  
  
"Where did what come from?" Came a voice from behind him.  
  
Jack swiftly turned around and came face to face with Will.  
  
"Oh, Will, good ta see ye my boy." Jack said in a rush and a big smile, hoping Will wouldn't press the issue so he wouldn't have to think of a decent answer. "How did ye sleep?"  
  
"I slept fine, now where did what come from?" Will asked curiously while watching Jack's weird behavior, well, weirder than usual anyway.  
  
"Oh... ummm,,, nothing important, I just seen a.....FLASH OF LIGHT IN THE SKY! YES! That's it. I seen a HUGE flash of light in the sky. Didn't ye see it?" Jack asked with animated hand gestures.  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh, well maybe ye should get your eyes checked when ye go home, savvy?"  
  
"Okay." Will answered slowly. Sure Jack was always a bit odd, but now it seemed like he was completely off his rocker. But Will just shrugged it off reminding himself that this WAS Jack Sparrow he was talking about.  
  
"So where's your bonney lass?" Jack asked, desperately trying to change the subject.  
  
"She went down to the galley to start breakfast."  
  
"Ahh, Riley went down there not but 5 minutes ago ta start breakfast. Said she wanted to help Elizabeth." Jack said as if he was in deep thinking.  
  
"Oh good, I was hoping she get up early today. She's going to need to be up and ready if she wants to practice today and not get hurt."   
  
"Aye, that she does."  
  
"So what exactly does she know about using swords?" Will asked, realizing he had no clue how experienced she was.  
  
Jack furrowed his eyebrows together.  
  
"Well, she knows that the pointy end goes into the other man, in her exact words." Jack said, for Riley's sake trying to make that sound better than it really was.  
  
"Yikes, no wonder you wanted her to get some practice."  
  
"Aye." Jack nodded.  
  
Elizabeth came on deck about 15 minutes later.  
  
"Breakfast is ready." She smiled.  
  
About 1 1/2 hours later breakfast was eaten, dishes were washed, the crew was up and working, Jack was at the helm humming his favorite drinking tune to himself, and Will and Riley were on the lower deck practicing. They had been at it for a while. The first 40 minutes or so were to teach her the basics, now they were working on actual moves. Unlike the ship work that seemed to have come naturally to Riley, she was having more difficulties with the sword fighting. But nonetheless she was doing quite good for a beginner. Jack stared at the 2 with a bit of a distant look in his eyes. Like Riley had earlier that morning, he was feeling something in him that he couldn't quite pin point.  
  
"Enjoying the view?"  
  
Jack turned to see Elizabeth staring at him with a big grin on her face.  
  
"Jeesh. what is it with ye Turners and sneaking up on people like that?"  
  
"Oh we can't help it, it's fun." Elizabeth giggled at the slightly annoyed look on Jack's face.  
  
"Yeah yeah." Jack mumbled.  
  
"You never answered the question."  
  
"What question?" Jack asked completely confused.  
  
"The one about you enjoying the view."  
  
"Which view?" Jack asked even more confused.  
  
"The one of Riley down there." Elizabeth specified.  
  
"Why would ye ask that?" Jack asked suspiciously.  
  
"Come on Jack. I see the way you look at her. You obviously like her."  
  
" Aye, I like her, but not like that! Honestly Elizabeth, the way ur mind thinks sometimes." Jack shook his head in a tsk tsk short of way.  
  
"Whatever you say Jack." Elizabeth stopped knowing he would never admit to it, but she knew the feeling was there.  
  
Jack and Elizabeth were just standing there, minding there own business, when out of nowhere.....  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SON OF A BITCH!!!!" Came the cry of agony.  
  
"What in the world?" Jack and Elizabeth asked in union and leaned over the railing to see what was going on, only to see Riley with her hand over her mouth and Will on the floor clutching his arm.  
  
"Oh My God, Will!" Elizabeth shrieked and ran down the stairs with Jack right on her tail.  
  
They ran over to Will who, sure enough, had been stabbed as they assumed. They both bent down next to him and Elizabeth held him in a death grip as if he were dying and Jack tried to pry his fingers off his arm so he could get a better look at the wound, but to no luck. Elizabeth looked at a wide eyed Riley with a look of absolute terror on her face.  
  
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!" She demanded.  
  
"I,, I stabbed him." Riley stammered.  
  
"Obviously." Jack muttered.  
  
"Why did you stab him?" Elizabeth asked quite puzzled.  
  
"He told me to." Riley stated simply.  
  
"DID NOT!" Will butted in.  
  
"Did to!"  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did to!"  
  
"Did not."  
  
"ENOUGH!" Jack interrupted, the bickering was giving him a headache. " Now, Riley, why don't ye tell me what happened.  
  
"Why does she get to go first?" Will whined.  
  
"Because it's my ship and I said so." Jack said matter of factly.  
  
"Hmpp." Will pouted.  
  
"Well, Will had just finished showing me some basic moves and we were working on an actual fight, and since I don't know too much about sword fighting, he was walking me through it and telling me what ta do. So he had just finished telling me ta parry ( i'm not sure if that's the word.) and then he said STRIKE.."  
  
"Well I never thought you would actually do it!" Will interrupted once again.  
  
"Well you told me to, how was I suppose ta know you weren't going ta move?" Riley defended.  
  
"COMMON SENSE!" Will shouted.  
  
"HUSH!" Jack silenced them again. "First off, Riley, love, common sense should have told ye not to actually stab him." Riley frowned as Will put on a face of triumph. " And Will, quite your belly aching, tis barley a scratch ye got there. A little dab of rum and ye'll be fine. Elizabeth, I assume ye can take care of that?" Jack asked her.  
  
"Of course." She answered. She then helped her husband up and walked him to their cabin.  
  
Jack and Riley watched as the two walked off. As soon as they disappeared into their cabin, Riley turned to Jack.  
  
"So, I guess that means lessons are over for today then."   
  
Jack turned to her and just smirked.  
  
A/N: So there it is, chapter 8, hope you enjoy. Oh and in case you didn't know, Pirates of the Caribbean comes out on vhs and dvd tuesday, Dec.2. Happy Thanksgiving, 


	9. Secrets Part1

Disclaimer: Any quotes, characters, settings or anything else shown in POTC belong to Disney. I claim no ownership.  
  
Jack and Riley watched as the two walked off. As soon as they disappeared into their cabin, Riley turned to Jack.  
  
"So, I guess that means lessons are over for today then."   
  
Jack turned to her and just smirked.  
  
It had been about 2 weeks since the stabbing incident. Will had spent the better part of 3 days complaining about it but finally stopped when Elizabeth had told him he was over reacting. Not wanting to look un-manly in front of his wife, of course he stopped. This was expecially appreciated by Jack, who was just about ready to throw the man overboard. After that was settled, he had finally agreed to start teaching Riley again, after a 1 hour long lecture stating that when he says to strike, she doesn't actually do so of course. So Will and Riley continued to practice for 1 hour a day, everyday, on the deck of the ship. She was becoming much better than she was when she had started, she was excellent when it came to defense, but when it came to offense, let's just say she wouldn't be your first choice of protection. Overall, she could hold her own in a battle until more reliable help came along. While the 2 would practice, Elizabeth would continue to try and get Jack to admit that he liked Riley more than he let on, and Jack would continue to insist that she needed to get her mind out of the gutter. All in all not much had change on the ship, just minor things. Such things including the crew trying desperately not to laugh at night when they were on deck, not having any choice but to listen to the...... interesting..... sounds coming from Will and Elizabeth's cabin, enough said. Other changes including Riley's behavior. Adapting to the ship's environment, she soon dropped the state of awe she usually found herself in when around Jack and started treating him like the rest of his crew, showing the respect that he deserved and telling him when she though he had gone absolutely bonkers. This little change was a little to the displeasure of Jack, but MUCH to the pleasure of AnaMaria.  
  
That was another slight change aboard The Black Pearl. Riley and AnaMaria had become quite close over the past few weeks. They would work together during the day and at night they could usually be found at the back of the ship, most of the time talking, or more like making fun of Jack. They definitely formed a bond, almost like sisters. This thought alone made Jack a little nervous. One AnaMaria on board making wise cracks and giving her opinion when it wasn't wanted was bad enough, but 2 of them, Jack didn't know if he could handle it. He also didn't know if his ego could handle the 2 of them. But he tried not to think to much about that, he would deal with it when it came ( most likely with a few bottles of rum!). Yup, everything was going perfect, a little too perfect. Unfortunately, we all know that a good thing never lasts, and the same rules applied to this situation. The crew of The Black Pearl, or more specifically 2 particular members on The Black Pearl, were about to have 2 secrets come out in the open, and both of them were going to change things drastically.  
  
It was a beautiful, clear and starry night upon The Black Pearl. It was also peacefully quite. That was due to the fact that most of the crew were past out in their cabins. A few days prior they had come across a nice little cave filled with treasure of a past king and today they went collecting. They spent the better part of the day sorting through the things they wanted and didn't want and loading everything onto the ship. By the time they were done the sun had just gotten done setting behind the horizon and they were beat. So Jack let them retire early. Now it was just Jack standing at the helm of his ship. He still couldn't get over the happiness of getting his Pearl back. He had waited so long to finally be in control of it again that he could often be found at the ship's wheel at night with the most peaceful look on his face. That's when Riley liked him the best, when he wasn't a captain barking orders at his crew, acting fierce and intimidating, when he wasn't Captain Jack Sparrow, the most fearsome pirate in the entire Spanish Main, but when he was simply a man guiding his ship, nowhere in particular, just wherever the winds decided to take him. Riley had come up on deck a while ago, for she couldn't sleep, and now she was just leaning over the side of the ship, every so often glancing over Jack's way, but mostly just admirering the view. It was a little past an hour since she had come out that Jack finally took notice of her. The currents weren't very strong and he was getting kind of board talking to himself, so Jack decided he'd go have a little chat. He walked over to her, in his usual swagger no doubt, and simply just took a place next to her.  
  
"What are ye doing out and about so late love?"  
  
"Nothing much, just couldn't really sleep, the lovebirds are at it again and they're not being as quite as they think they are." At this, Riley let out a small chuckle.  
  
"Ahh, I see." Jack gave one of his trademark smirks.  
  
"So what be on the agenda tomorrow, Captain?"   
  
"Well, seeing as how the crew worked hard today, I figure I give them a little rest tomorrow, and wherever we find ourselves the day after, we'll go from there." Jack finished with his elaborate hand gestures.  
  
"Sounds good." She replied, but she seemed a bit distant. Jack had notice this also and figured he'd better see what the problem was. That was part of his job title after all, helping out his crew when needed.  
  
"What's a matter lass, ye seem like ye got something else on your mind."  
  
Riley looked at him for a brief moment, then turned back to the sea. She wasn't sure if she should tell him the truth or not, it would be quite awkward. Eventually she decided she might as well, it would come out sooner or later anyways.  
  
"Have you've ever, oh I don't know, felt like you were missing something in life?" She asked, choosing her words carefully.  
  
"Yes! Why just the other day I woke up with this feeling I was missing something, and sure enough, I had lost a bottle of rum! Oh wait, maybe it was I drank the bottle of rum........hmmm, well either way it was still gone." Jack said mater of factly.  
  
"That's umm, not exactly what I was talking about Jack." Riley said, trying not to laugh at him.  
  
"Oh, well then what do ye mean?" Jack asked, more then a bit confused.  
  
"Well, have you've ever felt like your life is incomplete, and in order to make it whole again you need something, or possibly, somebody?" Riley said, hoping he would understand and she wouldn't have to get anymore detailed.  
  
"Oh." Yup, Jack read her loud and clear alright. And as much as he hated to say it, he knew exactly what she meant, he had been feeling the exact same way since just before he met her. But he was a pirate, a pirate captain no less. He wasn't suppose to feel this way. He was suppose to pillage and plunder, have one night stands and be perfectly content. But no, he had these..... feelings..... coming up.  
  
"Aye, I know what ye mean lass."  
  
"You do?" Riley asked, more then a bit surprised.  
  
"Aye."  
  
"Oh."  
  
There had been a good 5 minutes of an ungodly uncomfortable silence before the first secret the night would bring came out. After a few minutes of thinking things over on both parts, at the same time both Jack and Riley turned their heads in order to kiss the other. Sadly, each was met with a hard impact to the head that echoed in the silence of the night.  
  
"Owww!" They both moaned at the same time.  
  
"I don't suppose ye were bout ta do what I was gonna?" Jack asked cautiously while rubbing his head.  
  
"If you were attempting to kiss me, then yes I was." Riley replied, also rubbing her head.  
  
"Hmmmm." Jack said, looking in deep thought. "Well then, what do ye say we give that one more go, savvy?" Jack asked with a slight devilish grin.  
  
Riley turned to him with a grin of her own. "Savvy."  
  
And then it happened. Jack had grabbed her chin and tilted her head up towards his, and gently placed a kiss on her lips. Riley responded by grabbing the sides of his face and kissing him back. For the time being, they were both content with life. But once again, all good things never last.  
  
A/N: Okay there it is, chapter 10. Sorry it took a while to get out. Now just so you know, there will be a second part to this chapter that will reveal the other secret. Although I know what the second secret is, it may take a few days to come out because I'm not sure how I want to write it, but the good news is I know how I want this story to end, so it's just a matter of getting there. So I can officially say that there will only be about 2 or 3 more chapters left. Now I have to be going because as most of you all know, POTC came out on vhs and dvd today and my sister is finally up so I can watch it. Oh and if you get the dvd, I suggest you watch the blooper reel on disk 2 as soon as possible, they're hilarious! Okay, gotta go, thanks for the reviews! 


	10. Secrets Part2

Disclaimer: Any quotes, characters, settings or anything shown in POTC belongs to Disney. I claim no ownership.  
  
"Hmmmm." Jack said, looking in deep thought. "Well then, what do ye say we give that one more go, savvy?" Jack asked with a slight devilish grin.  
  
Riley turned to him with a grin of her own. "Savvy."  
  
And then it happened. Jack had grabbed her chin and tilted her head up towards his, and gently placed a kiss on her lips. Riley responded by grabbing the sides of his face and kissing him back. For the time being, they were both content with life. But once again, all good things never last.  
  
The kiss the 2 shared seemed to be magical. It was as if time had stood still just for them. When they could no longer breathe, they pulled slowly pulled away from eachother, neither wanting to end the moment. They both stared at eachother slightly surprised by the other's actions. Sure they liked eachother, but it's not everyday that you go from being acquaintances to kissing on the deck of the ship at night. But nonetheless it was a smooth transition that both enjoyed. But the silence soon got to be a bit uncomfortable again so it was Jack who spoke first.  
  
"Well then, I think this calls for a little celebration, savvy? What do ye say we go have ourselves some rum?" Jack asked with a twinkle in his eyes.  
  
"Sounds good, Captain." Riley replied, slightly teasingly.  
  
The 2 walked, or more like swaggered in Jack's case, to Jack's cabin. He held the door open for her, like a true gentleman ( yeah right.) and then proceeded to walk in after her. Riley took her seat by a writing desk in the corner and examined the room while Jack went looking for his rum. It had just occurred to her that she had never seen the Captain's cabin. It was very elegantly decorated, not something you would normally expect from a pirate. He had a huge bed with a mountain load of pillows that looked quite comfy, but she wouldn't dare tell Jack that, for everybody knows that he usually has his mind in the gutter and she didn't particularly want to spend the next hour prying him off of her, although the more she thought about it the harder it was to find something wrong with that scenario. Jack continued to roam around in his cabinets until he finally came across what he was looking for.  
  
"Aha! Found it!" Jack held up a bottle of rum in his right hand triumphantly. He took 2 glasses off the top of a dresser and walked, sorry, swaggered, over to where Riley was sitting and pulled up a chair of his own. He then placed the 2 glasses on top of the desk and continued to pour some rum into each. Then he put the cork back on the rum, set it aside, and raised his glass.  
  
"Drink up me 'earties!" He grinned.  
  
About an hour later the 2 had finished off the bottle of rum, went right through another and were currently working on a third. Jack was telling stories and different jokes that made absolutely no sense at all but still Riley found exceedingly fascinating. Only thing is when you're listening to a story, a story told by Jack nonetheless, while you're drunk, you tend to ask outrageous questions, sometimes questions that had no relation to the story at all. But luckily it all evened out because Jack would come up with equally outrageous answers.  
  
"And then they *hic* made me their chief!" Jack slurred.  
  
"I swear that story gets *hic* better every time I hear it." Riley exclaimed, slightly rocking back and forth on her chair. A peaceful silence filled the room as Jack studied the half empty rum bottle with great interest and Riley struggled to keep her balance on the chair.  
  
"Hey Jack, can I ask ye a question?" Riley asked out of nowhere.  
  
"Hmmm, what kind of question *hic* love?" Jack asked back while thinking it over.  
  
"Ummm, personal, I think?  
  
"I see, alright then, go for it!"  
  
"Okay, well I know you're a pirate and all and it's not really in your nature, but have you've ever done something that you truly regret?"  
  
As soon as the words left her mouth, Jack's expression of drunkenness turned to one of complete seriousness and almost, a bit of sadness. As hard as he tried to hide it, he is a pirate after all, Riley quickly took notice of it and her state of drunkenness seemed to suddenly disappear too.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
"A long time ago, 10, maybe 11 years back, me and me crew were sailing to Tortuga, we had just found a nice little heap of treasure and I thought it would be nice to celebrate a bit. Anyways we were on course to Tortuga and we came across this ship. It wasn't nothing fancy, it was about medium size and looked as if it had seen better days. So I figured, ah what the hell, we've been on lady luck's side for the past few weeks, while not add to the stash. So I ordered the crew to load the canons and get ready for a battle. As soon as the ship was in firering distance I gave the word. Canons smashed into the side of de ship and each one hit their planned target. After we had the element of surprise over with, I order me crew to board the other ship and carry on with the basic raiding procedures. Everything was going all hunky dory until the ship's captain decided he wasn't gonna stand for this anymore. In a flash he had ordered his crew to fight back and that's when all hell broke loose. Considering how run down de ship was they definitely had their fair share of weapons. I was pretty much able ta hold me own and so was me crew, but then I noticed the ship's captain and another crew member had one of me crew members cornered and were about ta do him in. So I finish off the guy that I was busy with and ran to the other side of de ship and ran me sword straight through the captain's heart. Then everything seemed to go in slow motion. He fell to the ground, turned ta me and said, " Tell my daughter I was coming for er.", and then he died right there on the spot. Now normally something like that would have no affect on me, but something about the look in his eyes, it's been haunting me ever since." Jack finished his tell with his eyes cast downwards.  
  
"Wow Jack, that's...... I don't know what to say." Riley was at a loss for words. Living in Tortuga of course she had heard her fair share of gruesome stories, but for some reason this one touched her.  
  
"Till this day I make sure nobody dies during one of me raids unless absolutely necessary.  
  
"I know it doesn't matter any, but do you happen ta know what the guy's name was?" Riley asked, for some reason very curious.  
  
"Ummm...... Captain....Ma....Master......Masterson something or other." Jack replied trying to rack his brain of the captain's name, then realization hit him of the name he had given, and he looked up to see the shocked look of horror on Riley's face.  
  
A/N: Okay there it is, part 2 of secrets. I hope it was decent enough. Sorry it was so short but I couldn't think of anything else to add to it. Now unless something else comes to me the next chapter will be the last. Half of it will be the conclusion to this little dilemma and half will be an epilogue type thing. Thanks for the reviews! 


	11. An Accord and a Epilogue

Disclaimer: Any quotes, characters, settings or anything else shown in POTC belongs to Disney. I claim no ownership.  
  
"I know it doesn't matter any, but do you happen ta know what the guy's name was?" Riley asked, for some reason very curious.  
  
"Ummm...... Captain....Ma....Master......Masterson something or other." Jack replied trying to rack his brain of the captain's name, then realization hit him of the name he had given, and he looked up to see the shocked look of horror on Riley's face.  
  
Jack had absolutely no idea what to do. Sure he had said things without thinking about them many-a-time before, but this was considerably different. He had really outdone himself this time and there was going to be no sweet talking his way out of it. And judging by the look on Riley's face, there was about to be serious consequences to his actions and he wasn't exactly looking forward to them. So after 5 minutes of silence, he decided to gather up all his courage and ATTEMPT to calm her down before she exploded.  
  
"Now ,love, I understand that yer probably upset, but.." Jack had no time to finish this little thought of his for he was cut off by the massive slap across his face caused by the livid woman sitting in front of him.  
  
"I probably deserved that." Jack mused to himself more than to her.  
  
"You're damn right you did!" Riley roared so loud it made Jack winch slightly. "Ta think of all the years I wasted on you! Thinking and daydreaming bout how amazing it would be to meet you and possibly be whisked away on your ship, that you would be my savior, the one who would take me away from that god awful life I had ta live and as it turns out, YOU'RE the reason I was in that hellhole for so long!" Riley screamed. She was beyond mad, she was beyond livid and angry, she was fuming so much you could almost see the steam coming out of her ears. If Jack didn't know any better, he would have said she was the devil himself, but he figured he was already in deep water and he better not add to the pot with that little comment.  
  
Again Jack tried to calm her down as best he could. "Now love.." And again he was cut off.  
  
"STOP calling me that. I am NOT your love!"  
  
"I understand that yer angry and you have every right ta be, but if you really think about, you can't exactly blame me forever, it's not as if I knew I would someday meet you and killed yer farther just for me own personal pleasure." Jack desperately tried to reason with unsure hand gestures, instead of his usually confident ones.  
  
Riley turned around to look at Jack. At first her face was expressionless, then it appeared she went into deep thought, and finally she cracked up laughing. Not just a regular amusing laugh or a little chuckle, no, this was a hysterical laugh of a mad woman. It was starting to creep Jack out to say the least.  
  
"Riley?" Jack asked, unsure of what else to say.  
  
"I'm sorry Jack, it's just that that's the STUPIDEST thing I've ever heard." Riley said while drying her eyes. "Did you honestly expect for that ta work! I have every right ta blame you for this mess and nothing you can say can change that." Riley screamed once again. But the 3 words she was about to say next were going to be the icing on the cake. Slowly Riley walked over to the cabin door, put her hand on the knob, turned to Jack and looked him straight in the eyes and whispered, "I hate you." And with that she left.  
  
Jack had never been so shocked and hurt at the same time in his life. Sure he had been called worse things and had had worse things said to him, but coming from her, it tore him up inside. It wouldn't have been so bad if she had screamed it at him. Atleast that way he could have blamed it on the rage she was feeling towards him, but to have her whisper it in a barely audible voice, he was pretty sure she meant it. Yup, this was definitely one mess the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow was almost positive he would never get out of.  
  
That night was anything but peaceful on The Black Pearl. It started with Riley storming out of the captain's cabin and almost knocking over 2 crewmen as she ran down the stairs to the cabin she had shared with AnaMaria. After she had demolished her half of the room, Ana thought it would be best if she tried to see what the problem was. Unfortunately Riley was not in the mood for talking and completely ignored her fellow cabin mate, which was a first and a complete shock to Ana. She was quite offended that for the first time Riley didn't seem to think she could trust her with whatever problem she was having. But Riley keeping to herself was the least of everyone's problems. The next day Jack emerged from his cabin with a dark look in his eyes. He was defiantly not upset anymore, no, now he was furious that Riley had treated him in such a disrespectful way the previous night. Sure he could understand that she would be upset, but to practically wish him dead for something that he didn't purposely do was ridiculous. And he let his new found anger known to his crew, boy did he ever. Everyday for a week or so he would come out in the morning, see that Riley had yet to reappear on deck, and start yelling orders like there was no tomorrow. As long as Will and Elizabeth had known him, even they had never seen him like this. Will would try to talk to Jack, but Jack would just say he was busy or ignore him all together. Elizabeth and Ana Maria were having no luck with Riley either. Everytime they'd try to talk to her she would just say it was none of their business and she didn't want them repeating anything to Jack, even though they insisted they wouldn't. It was obvious to everyone on the ship that something had gone awfully sour between the 2, but couldn't for the life of them figure out what. All in all it had been an extremely miserable week.  
  
One night, about a week and a half after the little argument, Jack was standing at the helm steering his ship, the only thing that was bringing him joy right now. Actually to tell the truth, even that wasn't the same as it used to be. He couldn't seem to get in the mood. Jack was in the middle of thinking when the last thing he expected, considering the current circumstances, happened.  
  
"Searching for that horizon you're always talking about?" Riley asked while taking a place next to him as if nothing was wrong.  
  
Jack, a bit surprised by her sudden appearance mumbled a "Something like that."  
  
Riley let out a heavy sigh. This was not going to be easy in the least. She was never one to apologize even if she knew she was in the wrong. So she did the best she could and just blurted it out.  
  
"I'msorry." She said it so fast you couldn't tell where one word ended and the other began.  
  
"Come again?" Jack asked, not even able to begin to understand what she said.  
  
"I'm sorry." She said slower and more understandable this time.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For the way I acted. I over reacted and I treated you with way less respect than you deserve. Hell if I were you I would have thrown myself in the brig and dropped myself off at the next island no matter where it was. I had no right to talk to you like that and I'm truly sorry." Riley almost looked like she was on the verge of tears, but was luckily able to hold herself together.  
  
"Love, ye have nothing ta be sorry for. If anything I should be apologizing for.... for...... for what I did." Jack finished, not wanted to repeat what he had done.  
  
"It's not your fault Jack. Like you said, it's not like you knew you would one day meet me and purposely did that just to hurt me. You did what you had to do to protect the safety of your crew. Sometimes we are forced to do things we don't necessary want to do, but we have to do them anyways to survive."  
  
Jack couldn't believe how much different she was acting now. Just last week she wanted him dead and now here she was ashamed that she even thought of being angry with him and was apologizing at that. Jack was speechless nonetheless. It had been a few minutes before Riley decided to say what had taken her so long to realize this past week.  
  
"You know, if you think about it, things worked out for the better this way."  
  
"How do ye mean?" Jack asked a little confused.  
  
"Well, if you had never run into my farther, then he would have come and got me. Now who's ta say I would have liked him anyways? I mean if he was as bad as my mother claimed him ta be, then I really wouldn't want anything to do with him. And if he had come into my life, then I would never have meant you. And you have brought so much to my life. You taught me that life is worth living no matter how bad it may seem and you showed me a life that I'd always dreamed of, and for that I am truly grateful." Riley finish with a sincere look in her eye as she turned to look at Jack. "So what do ye say Captain, do you forgive me?" Riley asked hopefully.  
  
Jack tilted his head as if in deep thinking, then got eye level with the girl and broke out one of his trademark grins.  
  
"I believe I forgave ye as soon as ye started talking ta me again."  
  
Riley smile and pulled Jack into a deep hug that he graciously returned. As soon as they let go of eachother Jack draped an arm around Riley's shoulder and they stood side by side. That's when something occurred to Riley.  
  
"Oh Jack, ever since you offered for me to join your crew I've been trying ta think of a way to thank you but I haven't been able to think of anything that would be good enough. So straight from the horse's mouth, what can I do to repay you?"  
  
"That's an easy one love, never forget me."  
  
Riley smiled again at the Captain. "I promise."  
  
`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`  
  
(Epilogue)  
  
It was a clear day on the little island with the sun shining high and bright. There was a light breeze and the sounds of the ocean could easily be heard. There was a group of kids, the youngest being 5 and the oldest being 9 sitting in front of an elder lady, listening to her stories of the seas. This was routine for the children. They would come to this garden every week and listen to the old lady tell her tales of famous pirates and what not. She seemed to be particularly found of one pirate and he was the favorite of the children too. He was the most fearsome and respected pirate on the seven seas and none of them could ever get enough of listening about him, just as the old lady could never get enough of talking about him. Just as the old lady had finished her last story of the day, the group of children ran off giggling and laughing, pretended they were too pirates. The old lady watched on in pride as the children ran off playing games she had onced play as a little girl. As soon as they disappeared out of sight, the elder woman turned her head to the sky and closed her eyes, letting the wind sweep through her hair. Then she opened her eyes and as if on cue, a small black sparrow flew over head. The woman smiled and whispered to the sky " I never did forget, Captain Jack Sparrow."  
  
A/N: So there it is, the end of my story. Sorry if it was a little corny but I've been watching a lot of love movies lately. Anyways I hoped you enjoyed reading this story and once again I want to thanks all of my reviewers. Thanks! 


	12. Clarification

**A/N:** Hey guys! After receiving a couple of reviews from the last chapter, I realized that I really didn't make it too clear as to what happened. So here's what happened between the last talk on the ship and the old lady in the garden. 

Jack and Riley spent a very happy life together sailing the seas and what not. They never officially got married, but they knew how they felt for eachother and that was all that mattered to them. Unfortunately, Jack died at the age of 74 peacefully in his sleep.

**A/N2:** Or that's how I like to think what happened. But I suppose it could be up for interputation. Hope that clears up everything.


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